


Misconception

by Pandora (paperclipbutterfly)



Series: Plot Bunnies and Rogue Foxes [3]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Angst, Body Image, Eating Disorders, False Pregnancy, Feels, Fluff, Gen, Miscommunication, Uniform-Induced PTSD, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-10
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2020-02-26 23:08:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18726709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperclipbutterfly/pseuds/Pandora
Summary: Judy Hopps returns to work from an extended leave, but not the same as she was when she left. There's something different about her, that's for sure. Rumors and gossip start running through the mill when her partner Nick Wilde thinks he's gotten it all figured out. When a big misunderstanding spirals out of control, it'll take both of them to bring Precinct One back into harmony once again.





	Misconception

**Author's Note:**

> Darkflamewolf dropped this plot bunny off a few weeks ago. Have a little Mother's Day story filled with some misunderstandings, a little angst, and a lot of love.
> 
> Enjoy!

_“Hnnngggh!_ ”

Judy strained and pulled again desperately, but no amount of squirming or tugging was making any difference; the outcome remained the same. Exhaustion and frustration crept into her chest in equal parts, and with every passing minute she became less optimistic that this ordeal would end any other way than the one that she saw looming. Her heart sank as the realization set in.

Her pants no longer fit.

An ounce or two gained here and there was never something Judy had ever worried too much over. Being an active farm bunny for most of her life—and now a police officer in Zootopia—meant that her metabolism was high and her figure, as a result, always stayed consistently trim. It was never something that she needed to be concerned about.

At least, it _wasn’t_. But a grade two ankle sprain and moderate concussion after a foot chase in Tundratown put her on convalescence for six weeks. Six weeks of bed-rest followed by low activity back on the Hopps Family Farm. Pain medication that screwed with her appetite. Three of her mother’s home-cooked meals a day. Most of her waking hours spent with her feet propped up watching TV, managing the produce stand, or helping out in one of the kitchens. A lot of time spent mindlessly snacking.

One ounce quickly became two. Two turned to four. Then the ounces became a pound. Then another. When Judy returned to Zootopia, she was three and a half pounds heavier than when she left it.

So now here she was, fighting with her uniform on her bed the day before she was supposed to return to work at the ZPD. The shirt and chest plate were a little snug, but not unwearable. Even the utility belt was fine, though she had to use the very last notch. But the pants were unbearably tight on her thighs now, and the button clasp simply would not come together over the little pouch of pudge that had formed around her middle.

Judy stopped struggling with a sigh and slumped down on her bed in defeat. The image in the mirror across from her suddenly looked a lot like her mother, and she turned away from it. Not that her mom wasn’t a fine-looking doe in her own right, but she didn’t exactly have the kind of figure a cop was meant to have. She was stocky and broad, strong but heavy. A heavy rabbit was a slow rabbit. A slow rabbit on the beat was… well, it just wasn’t the best thing to be as a rabbit police officer.

Her gaze came back to the mirror and she set her feet on the floor again. _This isn’t the end of the world, Judy,_ she told herself, and walked over to her desk. The drawer held all manner of odds and ends in it, including a few thin, stretchy black bands that she’d saved off vegetable bunches. She looped one around the button, threaded it through the zipper, through the button hole, and back around again. Voilà! Technically buttoned pants. The belt hid the Mink Guyver type contraption completely. It would be enough to get through tomorrow, at least. She’d probably be on desk duty for a day or two until she read all of her emails and any changes in protocols that may have happened while she was on leave. Judy made a mental note to talk with Mammal Resources, also. She might be able to get an advance on her uniform allowance and have a larger pair ordered.

 _And in the meantime, you’ll just cut back on the calories for a few weeks._ She buffed her badge with her paw, even though it had already been polished and shined to a vibrant golden gleam from other such cleanings tonight. _A little diet and everything will go right back to normal. No big deal._

_Ding!_

An alert from her phone turned her attention away from the mirror and to the desk where it was charging. She picked it up and opened her messages. It was from her partner, Nick, which made sense. Texting was their preferred method of communication at night to stave off comments from the Bucky and Pronk peanut gallery next door. She opened it fully to a pleasant little message that filled her with dread:

<Welcome home, Fluff! Picking up breakfast tomorrow to celebrate. Your usual okay?>

Judy stared at the words, and then felt her heart take a little tumble. There was no way she was telling him any of this. Deciding to go on a diet was fine as long as it wasn’t made public. It still felt embarrassing and the very thought of any possible new nicknames he might come up with made her sick inside. No, this would stay between her ears, no one else’s business but her own.

<Good to be home!> she texted back, her words looking a bit more cheerful than she felt as she typed them. <Nothing for me, please.> She paused, and added, <Stomach’s been kinda sick. I’ll just eat before work. Thanks, though.>

She sent it and waited for the response back, foot tapping a nervous beat against the floor.

_Ding!_

<Okay then. Glad you’re back. See you in the morning.>

Judy heaved a relieved sigh. Crisis averted. The phone went back on her desk and she began the tedious task of disassembling her uniform to get ready for bed. Tomorrow was a big day, and given the additional circumstances, she wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible.

*****

The rich, decadent scents of the little café were taunting Judy’s nose, mocking her howling stomach. She repeated the mental morning mantra of supposed self-control that she had built up on her way out the door. _Yogurt and water bottle… yogurt and water bottle… yogurt and water bottle…_

Since she hadn’t yet gone grocery shopping since returning to the city, there wasn’t a crumb to eat in her whole apartment. Last night it seemed a good thing as it kept her from snacking right before bed, but this morning it proved an obstacle that she had trouble overcoming. She was cranky and hungry, her usual vim and vigor missing completely. Her nose twitched and sniffed at the wafting, mouthwatering aromas, even knowing she wouldn’t be partaking in any of them today.

To make matters worse, the line was moving at a snail’s pace. It seemed a short eternity before she was finally the next customer at the cash register.

“… a dead ringer for that rabbit cop…” someone nearby said.

Her ears swiveled at the voice involuntarily, tuning into a conversation that certainly sounded like it was about her. She had a longish jacket on over her uniform to cut the fall chill a bit (and somewhat hide the modifications she made to her waistline), so her uniform wasn’t immediately obvious to the mammals around her.

Judy was about to turn around to pinpoint the voice’s owner and confirm _Yes, I’m Officer Hopps_ when another voice replied blithely, “Eh… maybe if she only had one chin…”

It felt as though the floor was falling away beneath her. Her heart hammered and ears drooped behind her back. A shaky paw turned up the collar of her jacket as the voices moved further off and then out of the little shop. Every bit of her face turned hot as a blast furnace while her empty stomach became a block of ice.

“Miss?”

Her ears shot up again and she snapped her head around to see the young otter cashier watching her expectantly. She was next in line.

“Oh, ah…” Judy stepped up to the counter and attempted a small smile. “Sorry… sorry about that.”

The cashier forced a smile of her own. “What can I get for you this morning?”

“Just, um…” She stared at the menu and then down at her paws gripping her jacket’s lapel. “Just a bottle of water, please.”

*****

“There she is! Welcome back, Judy!”

Benjamin Clawhauser’s smile was wide and bright—infectious—as Judy walked in through the front doors of the ZPD station at last. As crummy as she felt, it was impossible not to smile in return.

“Good morning, Clawhauser.” She stopped at the front desk and the cheetah leaned over it, long tail flitting contentedly. “It’s nice to be back. I missed you all.”

“Aww, we missed you more, I bet,” he purred as his eyes crinkled within his deepening grin.

“Pssh, nuh uh.” Judy waved her paw at him in mock dismissal, then tucked it away in her jacket pocket. “Has Nick gotten in yet?”

“Mmmmm…” He hummed and lifted his eyes past her just before her vision went dark.

_“Guess who.”_

His voice murmured soft and low right beside her ear. Anyone else might have made her jump, but not him. She beamed and put her paws over the paws that were covering her eyes.

“Hmm, who could it possibly be, I wonder?” She tilted her head back, as though thinking really hard about it, then said, “Leo DeCatrio?”

A light chuckle. “Close. Gonna have to go a tad handsomer.”

More than ready to end the silly charade, Judy spun right around between his paws. She pressed herself against him, arms wrapped around his middle and squeezing in a bunny death hug that for all its smallness nevertheless earned a subtle “ _oof_ ” from the mammal caught up in it.

“Dumb fox,” she murmured into his shirt.

“Aww, how’d you know?”

Judy tipped her head up to meet the mischievous green eyes crinkling at the corners within a deep, genuine smile. Just being back together again with her partner banished nearly all the awfulness she had swallowed this morning dressing and jerry-rigging her waistband in lieu of a proper breakfast.

She let him go and gave his arm a soft punch. “Gut instinct.”

“Is that what that noise is?” Nick nodded briefly at Clawhauser in farewell, then turned and motioned Judy to follow him to the office area and their shared workspace. Judy dropped her ears at the comment but fell in step beside him quickly. A self-conscious paw held her jacket tight around her stomach.

“What do you mean?”

“Just that.” He gestured at her with his upturned paw as her insides grumbled in betrayal, and Judy did her best to ignore the sideways look he was giving her as they walked into the room of desks and cubicle walls. “Come to work hungry on your first day back? That’s a real recipe for disaster.”

The slightly scolding tone made her hackles raise, and the embarrassment surged back to the forefront of her brain as she said defensively, “Who are you, my mom? I was tired and overslept my alarm. Just didn’t have time for a meal, is all.”

“Well, good thing I didn’t listen to you, then.” At the entrance to their shared workstation, Nick stood aside. The smell hit Judy first, the intense scents of everything she most loved to eat smacking her right in her twitching nose. Roasted vegetable and potato wraps, hot cross buns (Nick loved to rib her any time she chose that as a meal), and a vibrantly colorful fruit salad all displayed across their desks. Her stomach screamed as he threw his arms wide at his work and said, “Ta-da!”

Judy’s ears drooped to either side as she shrugged her jacket off and draped it over the back of her chair. “I told you not to.”

“Needed to.” Nick’s voice turned soft as he leaned against his desk and turned away, his gaze now laser-focused on the fruit bowl. He plucked a few blueberries out and popped them absently into his mouth. “If I didn’t do _something_ I was gonna lose my mind.” When he looked back his face had its normal smirk of smugness on it. “So welcome home. Now eat up and let’s go on patrol like always.”

She grimaced and pulled her chair out. “Standard procedure is system access, then email and procedural reviews, then—”

“You can take an hour or two for a drive, get your bearings back a bit,” he insisted, and started past her. “I won’t even race you for the keys.”

Judy plunked heavily into her seat and was about to protest further when…

_Snap!_

The sound of the rubber band breaking was probably unnoticeable to Nick, but to her it sounded like a piano wire had just sprung loose from its pin—a light, airy, _dangerous_ noise.

Nick yelped “OW!” just as she leapt up out of her chair with her paws grasping at her waist to keep her malfunctioning wardrobe up and (at least relatively) together. He whirled around, an expression halfway between irritation and confusion as he rubbed at the back of his head. “Did you just shoot a rubber band at me?” He paused and blinked at the scene, Judy frozen in what looked like abject horror as she held her waist and belt and shirt all together between her paws in a death grip. “What’s wrong with your clothes?”

“I, uh… it just, uh…” Judy reached out blindly for her chair, found the jacket still hanging where she’d set it, and drew it clumsily in front of herself. “Shrunk?” Tighter she clutched it around her middle and started inching away from her desk. “Sorry. I’d better… go talk to Mammal Resources, and uh…” She skirted past him as she mumbled at the ground, “We’ll, uh… catch up later, alright? Yeah, later. Okay, bye.”

Judy poured as much energy as she had left to burn in her hungry rabbit body into her legs and bolted for the door of the offices, frantic to get out, to get away, to get _anywhere else._ She was nearly delirious with desperation she almost ran full tilt into a set of tiger legs that were just coming in as she was zipping out.

Fangmeyer saw her first and started to say, “Hey, Hopps! Didn’t know you were… whoa!” She lifted her leg up and clear before Judy ran into it, and stared after the retreating bunny with one eyebrow raised and her tail flitting uneasily. “… back?” She turned back toward the desks to see Nick staring similarly toward where his partner had disappeared. “What’s up with her?”

He shook his head. “Damned if I know.”

It was no real secret to anyone working at Precinct One of the ZPD that Nick Wilde had been looking forward to getting back out on the beat with his partner again for weeks. While there were multiple ways he saw their reunion going when he prepared for work this morning, he had to admit that this definitely wasn’t one of them.

*****

Nick leaned his back against the front desk and pushed an aggravated breath through his teeth as he hung up his cell phone again. After three days, he could count on one paw the number of hours he’d spent with Judy. And now, yet again, was another call that went straight to voicemail. Another normal, routine lunchtime that was about to be spent without her. Again.

He slipped his phone into his pocket. “I just don’t know what’s going on with Hopps.”

Clawhauser, ever sympathetic, leaned over the desk a little and set his chin in his paw. “Didn’t do something to get on Judy’s last nerve already, have you?”

Nick frowned. “I’ve been nothing but a gentlemammal since she’s been back, thank you.” He crouched, sprung up to the countertop, and crossed his arms. “Really. I’d own up to it if I thought I’d gone and stepped on her toes but I’m drawing a complete blank here.”

Clawhauser nodded sagely. “Alright. Well then, let’s think. We’ll figure this out.” He tucked his chin in concentration as the fox officer started pacing in front of him. “She’s tired, grumpy, has no appetite—”

“At least not for her usual favorite foods,” Nick added.

“Right. And you said nauseous, doesn’t fit in her pants… went to talk to Mammal Resources…”

Nick came to an abrupt halt right in front of him, staring straight ahead as his ears slowly rose and jaw hung open. “Oh my God.” He whirled around wearing an enormous grin and squeezed Clawhauser’s face between his paws, an action that was uncharacteristic of the usually reserved fox. “That’s it! She’s _pregnant_! Judy’s pregnant!”

Clawhauser blinked. “Pregnant?”

“It all fits, right? That’s gotta be it!”

The cheetah’s eyes dilated into huge, twinkling saucers. “Oh my _gosh_. _Baby Judys_.”

Nick released him and went back to pacing, his tail now swishing back and forth with barely contained glee. “She’s gonna be a mom, Benji. Judy’s gonna be a mom!” He slowed to a stop again and the grin fled from his face. His tail bristled. “Oh, wow. Judy’s having a litter. No wonder she’s been so off lately. She must be beside herself.”

“I didn’t even know she was seeing anyone. Did you?”

“She wasn’t. I mean… not that she told me…” Nick shook his head hard and waved at him in emphatic dismissal. “Shouldn’t matter, should it? This kind of thing happens all the time.”

Clawhauser gasped, his paws hovering in front of his face. “But what if that’s part of it? What if she got hurt? What if she got _dumped_?? What if…?!”

“Stop that. Right now.” Nick’s voice took on a sharpness, muzzle wrinkling with distaste as he met the cheetah’s gaze and held it firmly. “This is _Hopps_ we’re talking about, remember? I _pity_ the dumb buck who would dare pull that kind of nonsense on her.”

But Clawhauser was too far gone, and his thoughts spiraled down into the depths as his glossy eyes widened. “Nick… what if she goes out on maternity leave… and never comes back?”

“What?” Nick blinked and his inner confidence dissolved at the very suggestion of Judy leaving the force. Of leaving her dream. Of leaving… him? “No… no, that’s impossible. She’d never…” He dropped searching eyes to his feet and pinned his ears back as he murmured to himself, “Would she?”

Clawhauser sniffed and rubbed his eye. “I’ve seen it a few times since I’ve been an officer. Motherhood changes everything, and if she has to handle it alone…”

“Nuh uh.” Nick sliced his paw in front of him as though chopping those words in half. “No way. Judy is _not_ dealing with this on her own. I won’t let her. And I’m gonna make sure she knows that _one hundred percent._ ”

“How? I mean… if she’s keeping this private, shouldn’t we just respect that?”

“Well, sure, but if it’s making her upset and sick, someone needs to take _responsibility_ and show her she has support. She needs to know she has mammals behind her, no matter what. Right?”

“… Right.” Clawhauser nodded, though there still didn’t seem to be much conviction behind the movement. “Okay, so… are you gonna confront her about it, or…?”

“No no no, see… you’re thinking too small. It’s not enough to _say_ it. No, she has to be _shown_ , a big gesture…” He tapped at his chin, a thoughtful grimace wrinkling his forehead, then snapped his fingers. “Oh, I’ve got it.”

“What?”

“I’m gonna throw Judy the biggest, best surprise baby shower she’s ever seen.” He pointed glibly at his coworker. “You’re gonna help me.”

His ears splayed back in alarm. “I am?”

“Benji, Benji, Benji… I have a feeling you were _made_ for this kind of project. Picture this with me.” Nick put his arm around Clawhauser’s shoulders and pretended to paint the scene he was envisioning in the air in front of them with his paw. “Pink and blue decorations, tons of sweets, miniature baby-sized _everything_ …”

Clawhauser’s eyes widened. “Presents?”

“Oh, yeah.” Nick shot him a knowing look as he stood back and then drove the final nail in. “I have three words for you, my friend. Baby. Bunny. Onesies.”

Clawhauser stiffened at attention and saluted. “Sign me up.”

*****

“ _Blech_.”

Judy swallowed hard and stuck her tongue out immediately afterward. The breakroom was empty, so she was being much more vocal than usual about how revolting she found her kelp and collard greens smoothie.

While her weight was heading in the direction that she wanted, every ounce she dropped was grueling, and her progress felt far too slow. She imagined she heard mocking whispers laced with her name wherever she went, which just made her want to steer clear of all her other coworkers completely. She had taken great lengths to avoid Nick since the zipper rig misfire incident and it was starting to get under her fur. Judy wasn’t bursting out of her uniform anymore since getting a new set ordered and rushed to her, but her physical comfort only served as a reminder that this would become her new size if she didn’t adhere to her food plan, the more rigorous exercise regimen. That a lapse in her self-control would mean hard-won progress would be lost.

Another spoonful of gloop, and another shudder. She sighed into her cup. The further along this diet she went, the more miserable she felt. More famished. More exhausted. More alone.

_Plunk!_

Judy startled and snapped her head up to find that she was no longer by herself. Across the table in the previously empty chair sat a tigress with a puckered brow. She narrowed her eyes and said, “Hey.”

“Oh, hi, Nadine.” Judy had no idea when Fangmeyer had come into the breakroom, and she wondered if her coworker had witnessed all the grousing she’d done. Her ears burned as she dropped them back behind her. “What, uh… what’s up?”

Fangmeyer paused, and then leaned forward over the table in a conspiratorial kind of way. “Listen, I’m sure you think you’re being stealthy and everything, but you’re not. Everyone knows.”

It felt like a sucker punch right to the solar plexus. For a few seconds Judy forgot how to breathe and nearly spilt what was left of the smoothie on the table. “Oh, God, really?”

“Yeah.”

“Everyone?”

“Everyone.”

Judy bit her lip. “Even Nick?”

Fangmeyer nodded. “Figured it out days ago. And he told Clawhauser, and… well, you know Clawhauser.”

Her paws abandoned the cup and grasped around her head. “Oh, _God_ …”

There was a scraping noise on the floor and Fangmeyer’s chair pulled up almost right beside Judy’s. A big striped paw settled on the table just within the edges of her blurring vision as the tiger said gently, “Look… it’s gonna be fine, okay?”

Judy sniffled and swept the heel of her paw over her eyes. “It’s just… so _embarrassing._ ”

“I know. I totally get it.” Judy huffed bitterly—how could someone with the kind of figure Fangmeyer had possibly understand? But the big paw tapped the table insistently and forced Judy’s eyes to meet the soft feline ones looking down at her with a kind of tender sympathy that she’d never seen in them before. “Judy. I know. I’m in the same boat.”

“What? _You_?” A sweeping glance went all up and down the powerful, lithe mammal beside her, the very picture of strength and beauty. She was slender, gorgeous… how could she think she wasn’t? “But… you look great.”

Fangmeyer grimaced and stuck out her tongue. “Well, I feel like absolute garbage. And so do you, I hear.” She leaned back against the chair and folded her arms over her chest. “I guess this all started on leave?”

“Yeah.” Judy twisted her ear between her paws. “I mean, it was just about the only thing I could do laying down, right?” The tiger laughed and nodded. “Then before I knew it, I was eating everything in sight and now… well, here I am.” She threw her ear back over her shoulder and sighed. “I don’t even want to be in my own skin right now and I hate feeling that way.”

“You look amazing. Glowing.” Fangmeyer smiled a thin, sad kind of smile. “And you shouldn’t be embarrassed. I was, and I’ve stressed myself out for the last few months hiding. It didn’t exactly help that I was throwing up after eating practically anything, either…”

Judy’s heart stuttered and then plummeted into her already upset stomach. How could that even be a thought that had entered her friend’s head _at all_ , to hurt herself that way for something as ridiculous as…

She dropped her eyes back to the cup of despair and her fur stood on end. “Oh no… Nadine…”

“I know. I mean… it’s better now. But watching everyone these past couple of days almost makes me wish I said something sooner. Judy, lemme tell you… no one’s judging. They’re all so supportive. It’s really gonna be okay. And there are support groups, too, with hand-me-down clothes and things like that. I found a bunch online.” Fangmeyer laid her paw so lightly on Judy’s shoulder. “So, if you need someone to talk to… well, there’s no reason to feel like you’re alone. You’re not.”

“Thanks.” Judy put her little gray paw over the big striped one. “And you too, alright?”

“Right.” Fangmeyer pushed her chair back and stood as she pointed at the cup of half-finished smoothie still on the table. “Now get rid of whatever _that_ is, and let’s go.”

“Go?” Judy tossed the cup in the trash and hopped down to the floor. “Go where?”

Fangmeyer held the door open with a mischievous smirk. “You’ll see.”

*****

The tiger led and Judy followed close behind down the hall to the training rooms. Fangmeyer stopped just outside one of them, jiggled the handle a few times, and then opened it just wide enough for, say, a rabbit to fit through.

She indicated the opening and said, “After you.”

“Is there a training session today?” Judy frowned as she walked by and through the crack into a dark room. “I don’t remember getting an email about one—”

_Click._

“SURPRISE!”

The dim room flooded with light from the high fluorescent bulbs overhead as Judy shrieked and pressed herself flat against the wall. The huge space had been cleared of all the desks and chairs. Long tables lined the walls instead, piled with an obscene assortment of trays and desserts; pretty boxes and bags in bright pastels; and shiny, flowery centerpieces. Baby blue and rosy pink streamers were hung from the ceiling and draped along the edges of the tables; confetti in the same colors had been scattered everywhere.

The jubilant faces surrounding her were saying things like “congratulations!” and “so exciting!” and “I can’t wait!” All the kind words were running together into indistinct chatter that she barely heard over the thundering of her heartbeat in her ears. Her chest heaved as Nick came up in front of her.

“Nick, what is—?”

“The celebration that you deserve, sweetheart.” He hugged her firmly and left one arm wrapped around her shoulders so he could pull her away from the wall. “You’re gonna be a mom!”

 _A WHAT?_ was the thought that popped into her head immediately, and she clenched her fist in preparation to sock him right in the gut when a big bouquet of pink and white carnations was thrust into her paws.

“These are for you,” Wolfard said, tail wagging and ears perked high.

Judy barely blinked in response when Francine stomped over with a big smile that crinkled the corners of her eyes. “You look lovely, Judy!”

Then came Clawhauser. “And these are for the babies from me.” Nick relieved his partner of the flowers as a gift bag went in front of her face. “They’re going to be so beautiful… just like their mommy.”

She reached automatically into the bag, motion without thought, caught up in a whirlwind of positive attention. Her paw hit something soft, grasped, and pulled out a set of teeny, tiny, feety pajamas with leopard, zebra, giraffe, tiger… and cheetah… prints. A little cooing noise escaped Judy’s mouth involuntarily—they were just so _adorable_ , how could she not?—and she realized it was the only sound in the whole room. When she looked up, she found all the other officers watching her expectantly with barely contained joy on all their faces.

It rushed over her, the delight at being the center of so much upbeat energy and encouragement. It was wonderful, this feeling. Wonderful… and wrong. So wrong, what they thought, that the reason she looked like she did was because she had buns in the oven.

But she didn’t.

Judy sucked in a sharp breath that was half a sob. The bag dropped from her paws and she was out the door before it even hit the tile.

Clawhauser stooped down and picked up his present with flattened ears and fallen face. “Was my gift that bad?”

Nick set the flowers aside on the nearby table and patted his arm. “Nah, big guy, you did great. Big bunny emotions probably went into overdrive, is all.” He readjusted his tie. “Minor setback. I’ve got this.” A confident wave was thrown over his shoulder to the rest of the room as he sauntered over to the door, also. “Carry on, everyone. We’ll be right back.”

The other officers didn’t need much incentive to resume conversing with each other and snacking on the refreshments after he left. The atmosphere was subdued for just a little while given the small hiccup in the festivities, but the food was good and the company agreeable. It didn’t take long before they were contented once more. They were all willing to wait a bit longer for the bunny of the hour to rejoin the party.

Well, that is… all but one.

*****

Nick didn’t have to follow in her wake for too long. Judy came into view at the end of the hall almost immediately, one arm up against the wall and shoulders folded forward like she was collapsing in on herself. He came up behind her quietly and put his paw on her back.

“Hey, come on, Fluff. It’s really okay…”

Judy whirled around and punched him right in the arm; it probably would have been harder but she was shaking so much it ended up glancing off without much force to it at all. “THIS IS ANYTHING BUT OKAY, NICK.” The tiny fists rained frustrated blows against his chest for a few bouts until he managed to catch her arms to stop the pummeling. She shouted into up into his face, “Why’d you go and do that?! What made you think—?”

“Because you weren’t acting like yourself and I didn’t want this to keep making you so miserable.” Nick let her go and she backed away from him in aggravation. “Seemed the best way to do that was to celebrate it instead.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You throw me a _baby shower_ because you think I’m—”

“And, if I’m honest, putting a positive spin on it helped me feel better, too.” She stopped dead as the quiet admission doused her anger, his voice and his face turning soft and sincere. “That maybe it wasn’t something that could take my partner away.”

Judy blinked and then scrubbed her face with her paws. What a mess she’d made. If she’d just been honest and gotten over the shame of finding herself plumper than she wanted, would she have found help where she initially thought she’d find ridicule?

“Oh my God, I can’t believe you…”

“Yeah, you’re right. It’s not about me; that was insensitive.” He stooped down and grasped her shoulders between his paws, locked his eyes on hers and smiled. “Look, I know this must be really overwhelming for you, Carrots…”

Her face twisted up. “Nick, please—”

“And I’ll admit that I panicked, too, a little bit…”

“You don’t underst—”

“It’s a big change but I don’t want you to feel like you’re alone in this…”

“Will you listen for a—?”

“…because I’m behind you— _we’re all_ behind you, no matter what—”

“NICK, STOP.” Judy brought her arms up between his and batted them away. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’m not pregnant.”

He blinked and drew himself back in confusion. “You’re… not?”

“No, you dumb fox!”

“But the…” His ears flattened and he dropped his eyes to study the ground, as though it could show him exactly where he’d gone so wrong. “…the being sick and the food aversion and the thing with the pants and—”

“I’m not pregnant, just… overweight.” The words tasted like sewage on her tongue, and it made her gulp hard. She forked her claws through the fur beneath her chin. “I got heavy on leave and didn’t fit in my uniform. I went on a diet. I didn’t tell anyone because I was embarrassed.”

Nick stared blankly for a few seconds, and his face broke into a sheepish smile. “Whoopsie.”

“‘Whoopsie,’ he says.” Judy backpawed him in the arm. “I think we’re way past ‘whoopsie,’ Slick.”

“When you’re right, you’re right. Double whoopsie it is.” He cocked his head at the tiny smirk his comment earned, and added, “You’re absolutely sure?”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

“No mini-Judys?”

She grimaced. “No… just the one big, dumb, fat one.”

A blur of red and blue too fast for her eyes to follow rushed her and she squeaked in surprise as her feet left the floor. Around and around Nick spun with her between his arms until she thought she was going to throw up her smoothie all over both of them.

“Nick, stop it!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Now around and around back in the other direction. “Light as a feather, I’d say.”

“You put me down, you lunatic!”

He stopped spinning and locked his eyes with hers. “Not until you take it back.”

She blinked. “Take back what?”

“Every one of those things you said about yourself.” Judy huffed and tried to push herself free but he just held her even tighter as he added, “If you don’t, I’ll arrest you for defamation of character.”

She threw him a stink eye. “Now you’re just being ridiculous.”

“I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life.”

Judy believed him, looking at the tight lines that sprung up around his muzzle and forehead. She sighed. “Fine. I take it back. Now put me down.”

Nick set her back on the floor and put his paws on her shoulders, his ears splayed back and a solemn expression tugging the corners of his mouth down. She turned her eyes to the side; she’d have preferred to set her gaze on almost anything else at that moment than the disappointment she saw in his face.

“Carrots, I don’t know what put all that nonsense in your head, but the size of your waist doesn’t mean a damn thing. The best things about you aren’t even on the outside at all. You could weigh a hundred pounds and you’d still be a stunning and exceptional mammal.” He drew his paws back and stuck them in his pockets. “I’d have told you this at the start if I knew this was what was bothering you.”

“Yeah… I see that now.” She looked down and scuffed her foot against the floor. “I dunno. I got all self-conscious and kinda thought I’d end up with a new nickname like Thunder Thighs or something.”

A half-smile played over his muzzle. “Oh, sweetheart, I’ve got no right to be mocking anyone for how they look.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Says the fox who recently implied he’s handsomer than Leo DeCatrio.”

“Well, I am.” He shrugged. “But I haven’t exactly got a perfect figure, either. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I have absolutely no butt to speak of.”

Judy snickered. “Nick, come on…”

“No, I mean it,” he insisted, and the small smile got much wider. “It’s a good thing my tail is so fluffy, because it completely hides the fact that there is literally nothing behind it.”

The giggling intensified. “Okay… th-that’s enough, I get it…”

“One of mammalkind’s greatest mysteries!” Nick assumed his best television presenter voice as he gestured to himself dramatically. “How exactly _can_ a fox with _zero_ rump sit anywhere? The world may never know!”

It was over for Judy before he even hit ‘mysteries’ and she doubled over holding her stomach from all the laughing. She was eventually able to rein in the fit of giggles by sheer force of will alone and then leaned into him for a gentle hug. As the laughter died down so too did the shame she’d kept bottled up since coming home to a uniform that had somehow become two sizes too small. The hunger was sated there between his paws, and she wouldn’t deprive herself of that very necessary part of her life again. Especially not for a misbehaving pair of pants.

Nick patted her back gently and she released her embrace. He smiled. “Feel better now?”

“Yeah.” She tugged at one of her drooping ears and added, “Thanks.”

“Anytime, darling.” Nick tightened his tie up a little. “Guess we’d better go break the news to everyone that there won’t be any little bunnies running around the station anytime soon, huh?”

_Huff._

The harsh, grating sound broke the quiet behind them and they spun around to see Fangmeyer standing there, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest. Her face was devoid of expression, but her stony eyes made up for that, all at once filled with betrayal, heartache, and outrage.

“You’re not pregnant.” It wasn’t so much a question as it was a statement, almost an accusation.

“No, I’m not.” Judy laid her ears back and smoothed a paw over them. “This was all a big misunderstanding.”

“I’ll say it was.” Fangmeyer uncrossed her arms and stalked with determined strides past them. “Excuse me.”

“What’s _her_ problem?” Nick asked once the striped tail had disappeared around the corner.

“Oh, sarsaparilla…” Judy’s eyes went wide with realization and she smacked herself in the forehead. She swatted at his arm and began to follow quickly after the retreating tiger. “I have to go.”

Nick jerked both thumbs back in the opposite direction. “But what about the…?”

“Stall!” she shouted over her shoulder. “I’ll be right back!”

Judy added to herself as she raced down the hall, _We both will._

*****

Nadine Fangmeyer managed to make it to the offices and plop herself down at her desk just before the emotional surge that was overriding all rationality in her brain brought her to tears. It was sudden and devastating, a kind of overreaction that fed on itself as it grew out of control. Her eyes welled and her shoulders shook as she buried her face in her paws.

“Rutting… hormones,” she panted around the sobs.

What was she getting so upset about? That was better, wasn’t it? Hopps _wasn’t_ dealing with the same thing, and that was good, right? Was she jealous, maybe? Misery loved company, after all, so was it just that being in the boat with someone else was better than being in the boat all alone?

Fangmeyer swiped the tears away from her eyes and groaned at the strong fluttering sensation that rose up within.

“Oh, hush,” she said only partially in jest as she laid a paw over the movements. “I don’t need you giving me grief, too.”

It settled down after few more teasing thumps, and she sighed. It was nearly inconceivable, that something so tiny could cause so much trouble.

“Nadine?”

The soft voice sent a jolt of adrenaline through her blood, like she’d just gotten caught sneaking out after curfew. Her eyes darted around her workstation as though there were some other way out besides the one that was now blocked by her miniature coworker. Fangmeyer hissed and turned her back on the rabbit.

“Go away.”

The light steps halted for a second, and then resumed. “You said ‘if I needed someone to talk to,’ right? Same goes for you.”

“I’m fine.”

“Now that’s a bold-faced lie if I ever heard one.” Judy sprang up to the desktop as Fangmeyer turned her chair away even further. Judy sat on the edge of the desk and let her legs dangle. “How many?”

Fangmeyer gave a sideways glance at Judy from the corner of her eye, and sighed. She turned the chair back to face her. “Just one. A boy.” Her breathing quickened into rapid, shallow breaths as her voice pitched. “There were two, but uh… but, ahh…”

She blinked desperately to try and keep the cascade of tears back to no avail. Little rabbit feet stepped up on the armrest and little rabbit arms went around her neck in the biggest hug that Judy was capable of. Fangmeyer stopped, took a deep breath to check the swelling river that burst the dam again, and nuzzled into the embrace gently.

“God, it’s s-so dumb, right? He… she… _it_ wasn’t b-barely even anything yet, but when I think about…” She drew a long, shaky breath and let it back out slowly. “I had names ready and everything…”

Fangmeyer leaned out of the hug as Judy stepped back to the desktop. The rabbit looked up at her coworker with wide eyes and a wrinkled brow. “You really didn’t tell anyone else? Seriously?”

“No… I told him, too.” The tiger made a horrible face, and bared her teeth for half a second. “And that went… well.”

“Oh.” Judy combed her ears back and glanced away. “I’m sorry.”

Fangmeyer shrugged and rubbed the leftover tears from her cheeks. “It is what it is.” She wrinkled her muzzle as she cast her gaze down and wrapped her arms around herself. “He didn’t have to be such a jerk about it, though. I mean… yeah, the timing isn’t great, but why does that make it a mistake? Why is it a ‘mistake I have to live with’ or a ‘mistake I should get rid of’? It’s not—” Another deep breath, another show of teeth within a scrunched face before she let her expression soften once more. Her voice dropped to a murmur. “I don’t feel it is. And I didn’t want to hear that from anyone else, so I just… kept it to myself.” Fangmeyer gave a sickly smile. “Everyone has an opinion.”

Judy pressed her lips together. “Well, my opinion—for what it’s worth—is that you don’t need opinions. You need some top-notch TLC. Luckily, I know just where to find some.” She nodded toward the cubicle opening and winked. “I’m pretty sure I saw cake in there, and I know for a fact that cake is _excellent_ for growing cubs.”

Fangmeyer blinked and then chuckled. “Is that so? Well, if I can’t take baby advice from a bunny, who can I take it from?”

Judy gave her an impish grin. “We do kind of corner the market on procreation, don’t we?”

They laughed a little awkwardly at first, but it gave way to more natural laughter before too long. When the quiet had settled around them, Fangmeyer scratched at the desk with her claws absently, and then sighed.

“It’s still really crappy he’s not gonna have a dad.”

Judy waved her paw. “Well, maybe he won’t right now. But he will have a bunch of fiercely loyal, honorary uncles and aunts who will love him like crazy.” She hip-checked Fangmeyer’s shoulder emphatically. “Not to mention one phenomenal mom.”

The tiger nodded as she stood from the desk chair, looking again like her normal, slightly sassy self. “Thanks, Judy.”

“No problem.” Judy hopped down to the floor and looked up at her. “What’s say we go set the record straight so Ben can start focusing all those warm fuzzies in the right direction?”

Fangmeyer made a sour face. “Do I have to?”

“Well, I mean… if you really _want_ his bleeding heart to break into a million little pieces instead, then _no_ , but…”

“Ugh… _fine_.” She gave an eye roll that ended in a good-natured smirk. “Twist my arm, why don’t you.”

“ _Me?_ ” Judy grinned wide and bounded ahead as Fangmeyer followed out of the offices and back toward the training rooms. “I’d never.”

“Yeah, right.” The tiger stepped up beside the rabbit in two quick steps and asked, “So… a diet, huh?”

Judy’s bouncy gait lost a little height. She gave a terse nod. “Yeah.”

“You know, we could always send you back to the Major,” Fangmeyer suggested casually, and made a silly face as she met the rabbit’s surprised glance head on. “The weight would just fall right off of you.”

“Well, of course it would,” Judy agreed in a voice equally nonchalant, and stuck her tongue out at her coworker. “Every ten seconds I’d be dead, and I hear decay really sheds the ounces something fierce.”

They laughed and poked fun at each other back and forth until the training room door that was holding back a not-so-surprise party was in front of them again. Judy pressed her back against it and said, “Ready?”

Fangmeyer stared blankly. “No.”

“Too bad.” A hard shove and the door swung inward. The lively conversation became subdued, and Judy helped it along as the many sets of eyes turned their way. “Everyone! Quiet for a minute, please!” she shouted, and waved her arms way over her head as Fangmeyer stood rather awkwardly behind her. “Sorry for the delay. Thanks so much for coming. There’s certainly plenty reason to celebrate today, but I’m afraid there’s been a little misconception that we need to clear up. You see, I’m not pregnant.”

Benjamin Clawhauser made the single most heart-rending sound anyone had ever heard.

Judy pointed above her as Fangmeyer gave the tiniest, most bashful wave. “I am, though.”

If the initial celebratory outpouring before was loud, the explosive cheering that rocked the enclosed space now broke the Richter scale into smithereens. Clawhauser’s “squeeeeee!” could have broken glass (Judy had to cover her ears lest they start bleeding), the wolves all howled in three-part harmony, and Francine’s excited tippy-toed stomping and accompanying trumpet shook the room. Judy had to clear out of the tiger’s immediate vicinity to avoid being trampled beneath the stampeding mammals coming over to hug and congratulate and bask in her presence. As was to be expected.

She was glowing, after all.

*****

Presents opened and cake cut, the party was winding down as the officers started to head home or back out on patrol. Nick parked himself in a chair by the wall to wait out the joyful chaos that had ensued since Judy dropped the small announcement bomb an hour earlier.

“Hey.” He zoned back in to see his partner suddenly in front of him with a plate of cake in paw and a reserved smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “I brought you dessert.”

“Aww, thanks.” Nick accepted the plate as Judy sat in the oversized chair next to him and immediately dug into the frosting with the fork. He smiled and held it closer to her as he said, “Abandoning the diet, then?”

“Meh… let’s call it a ‘cheat day,’” Judy said, mouth still full of fluffy cake. Maybe she wouldn’t make any headway today toward that goal weight she had in her head, but it didn’t really feel all that critical anymore. Judy gestured with the fork vaguely as she continued. “I don’t know. I would feel healthier and it would be nice if I didn’t have to squeeze into my clothes anymore, but…” She shrugged. “Maybe I’ll just buy some new ones.”

“Now that’s a better mindset to have.” He gave her a sideways glance and paused for a minute before he added, “If you do still want to, though, then at least do it right. I know two dieticians and a personal trainer that owe me. If you’re interested.”

She took another bite of cake and said, “I’ll think about it.”

“Okay.” He nodded generally out at the quieting party. “That was nice of you to share the spotlight.”

“It was too hot, anyway.” She swallowed and nudged him in the side with a little laugh. “I can’t believe you thought I was pregnant.”

Nick rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, okay, yuk it up. Insert obligatory ‘bunny fertility powers, activate’ joke here. You have to admit that it didn’t seem outside the realm of possibility taking all your nonsense into account.” He swiped a claw through the frosting and licked it clean as he glanced over at Fangmeyer. She sat in the throne of honor that Clawhauser had decorated with crepe paper and ribbons, surrounded still by presents and friends. The smile on her face couldn’t be contained. “It would have been fine if you were, of course.”

“Of course.”

Nick paused and added, “Still kinda glad you’re not.”

She smiled. “Heh… yeah. Me too.”

Judy finished off the last of the cake and Nick tossed the plate in the trash before inching off the chair. He cocked his head with a shrewd kind of smile.

“Patrol?”

Her ears sprang up and she took similar action from off the chair. “I thought you’d never ask.”

The race for the keys wasn’t even close. Judy beat him soundly (as usual), and hopped up in the driver’s seat before he even reached the garage.

“Bah, no fair,” he panted as he hauled himself up to take the shotgun position beside her. “You have nitro in your blood or some other form of rabbit chicanery.”

Judy laughed. “You’d think your lack of a posterior would improve your speed, but nope. You’re just _slow._ ”

“Maybe I’m the one who needs to get into shape, huh, Carrots?” Nick cast her a smug smile. “What’s say we take a jog in the morning? Have a light breakfast after? We’re both off.”

Judy turned to him with a slightly bemused expression. “You hate waking up early.”

“Hoo boy, yeah I do. But we have a lot of lost time to make up for this past week, and I’m clearly in need of some cardio, so I’m willing to make an exception.”

Judy punched his arm playfully. “God, you’re such a dumb fox.”

He tousled her ears in return and donned his shades with a little typical sly fox flare. “But I’m _your_ dumb fox.”

She sighed as she threw the car into gear and smiled in spite of herself. “Yes… yes you are.”


End file.
